Most people are making their new years resolutions tonight, but of course I have to be different.

In my first book, Windswept Shores, which will be out in 2/4/20 my hero Seth is an Aussie. So of course I have him speak with a lot of slang or what they call in Austrilia strine.

Here is thirteen Aussie slang words, in no particular order:

1. G’day–good day, a greeting. Usually conbine with . . .
2. Mate–a buddy, or best friend, or someone you just met and don’t know their name yet, and you greet them with “G’day, mate.”
3. Your shout–if you value your life, you will buy the next round of drinks.
4. Brekky–the first meal of the day.
5. Tea–the last meal of the day.
6. Bloke–a man who you don’t know.
7. Shelia–a woman, but its old and not use a lot anymore except by . . .
8. Oldies–your parents, or old folks. Used by those under seventeen for anyone over the age of twenty.
9. Chook–chicken, yes the kind that clucks.
10. College–a private school, usually High School not collage in states or . . .
11. Uni–University, or what we call collage in the states.
12. Tucker–food, that stuff you tuck into your belly or tucker sack.
13. Owsyerottenbleedinluckeh–Thought to be the longest word in the Austrialian language, it translates as things are not turning out as planned.

Thursday’s thirteen, I had a little fun with:
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

1. ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even our house cats.
The stockings were hung way away from the fire.
(What you want to see my house on fire?)

2. Our only daughter had staked out the living room,
In hopes of photographing Saint Nick.

4. And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
(Who the hell wears those things anymore?)

And my hubby had just passed out. And I worked on my edit on Windswept Shore, while visions of a best seller danced in my head.

5. When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Away to the window I flew like a flash. (Oh Come on I amble over.)

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
(We have an old house it has sashes.)

The moon was hidden behind a thick veil of fog, frost glittered in the what little light came through the opened window.

When, what to my squinting eyes should appear,

But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, and an emu
(Yes he’s back and Santa has him)

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

6. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!

On, Comet! on Cupid! on, Donder and Emu!

To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!

Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

7. As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
(I think they just ruined my roof.)

8. As I drew in my head, and was turning around,

Down the old stove pipe attached to my heater St. Nicholas came with a bound.
(Breaking and entering, tisk tisk.)

9. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,

And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
(He tracked up my living room, darn the little jerk.)

10. A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
(I think Santa has taken up drinking.)

11. His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

(Making asthma act up, and I coughed and wheezed.)

12. He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
(Santa needs to go on a diet.)

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

(Too much caffeine huh?)

Too much cappachino he told me.

13. And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
and bumped his head into my ceiling. (He forgot I don’t have a chimney.)

He staggered out to his sleigh, (after I opened the door) to his team gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night.”

Thursday’s thirteen: Veterans Day.

Today (well technically yesterday) across our country, Americans will pause to honor the men and women who have served and are serving in this country’s military forces.

1. Veterans Day was originally observed as Armistice Day in honor of the end of WWI fighting on 11/11/1918 at 11am.

2. Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) was observed as a yearly moment of silence at 11/11 at 11am. It became an official holiday and day off for most folks in 1938 and in 1954 was expanded to include all US veterans not just those who served in WWI.

3. Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is usually observed on November 11.

4. World War I ended 91 years ago, in 1918, and only one American soldier is still alive, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. His name is Frank Woodruff Buckles, born in 1901 in Missouri. He went on to also serve in World War II, where he was captured by the Japanese and spent three years in a prison camp before being rescued.

5. The last surviving female WWI veteran died in 2007. She lived to be 109 years old, and was buried with full military honors.

6. Today in America, we have fewer than than 2 million World War II veterans still with us. We are losing these men and women at the rate of approximately 11,000-12,000 a week. Unfortunately, in another five years, we will have lost most of the “greatest generation.”

7. 33% of living US veterans (7.8 million) served during the Vietnam war.

8. 3.4 million Veterans are living with a service-related disability.

9. Veteran: one who had served in the armed forces.

10. Veteran’s day is the day that celebrates in memory of the Armistice, ending World War I in 1918. It honors the veterans of the armed forces.

11. November 11, Veterans Day is celebrated in the U.S and in France. Called Armistice Day in Belgium, French Guiana, and Tahiti. And Remembrance Day in Canada and Burma.

12. When knights in armor rode past their king, they raised their visors to identify themselves. This custom eventually became the military salute.

13. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. –John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thirteen ways Trick-or-treating is better than sex:

1. You are guaranteed a little in the sack.
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2. If you get tired you can wait ten minutes and go at it again.
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3. Uglier you look the easier it is to get some.
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4. You don’t have to compliment the person who gave you some.
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5. You’re guaranteed to get something sweet at the end of the night.
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6. It okay when the other person fantasias that you are someone else, because you are.

7. 20 years from now you’ll still like candy.
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8. It’s okay if your spouse knows you’re doing it with others.
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9. If you don’t like what you get, you can go next door.
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10. You can do it in a group.
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11. It doesn’t matter if your kids hear you moaning and groaning.
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12. Less guilt the morning after.
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13. You can do the whole neighborhood.

Thirteen scary things from horror movies.

1. Werewolves

2. Vampires

3. Zombies

4. Ghosts

5. Ghouls

6. Flesh eating anything

7. Living brains

8. Headless horsemen

9. Over sized lizards

10. Living Dinosaurs

11. Giant squids

12. Aliens

13. Lots of small things we can’t really see too well in the dark; ie vampire bats, piranhas, critters of all types with sharp teeth that want to bite you or eat you. That what really gives me the creeps.

Writers like me sometimes add horror or suspense elements into their Romance story line. And in honor of Halloween, which is just around the corner, here are thirteen nerve racking descriptions off the top of my head.

1. The wind howled.

2. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

3. A chill went down her back.

4. Footsteps echoed in the dusty hallway.

5. A door squeaked loudly.

6. Not for the first time did she regret letting her boyfriend talk her into going to the cemetery at midnight.

7. Just for a moment his eyes glowed yellow.

8. It was pitch black in the house. She flipped on the light, and it didn’t come on.

9. Then she heard a loud noise, and she knew no one was home at this hour.

10. A loud screech made her jump.

11. Lightning crackled over the old empty house, and just briefly lit a face in the window.

12. Her sight finally adjusted to the dim light, and focused on a pair of eyes
staring back at her.

13. Behind her something scuttled across the floor, she spun around but saw nothing.

Halloween: as my daughter drapes my house in its Halloween splendor, I thought what really says Halloween?
1. Jack-o-lanterns?

2. Scarecrows?
3. Black cats?

4. Fake webbing?

5. Little bitty chocolate bars?

6. Horror movies?
7. Costumes?

8. Sculls?

9. The colors black and orange?

10. Ghosts?

11. Bowls and bags filled with cheep candy?

12. The smell of warm (or burning) pumpkins mixed with candle wax on

Halloween night?

13. Little kids screaming tick-or-treat!
What says Halloween to you?

Since its October first or nearly at this posting, here are thirteen things for October in no particular order.

I would have posted some photos but my internet service is acting funny.

1. Setting out the autumn decorations.

2. Getting out and decorating for Halloween. It’s not the same decorations as the autumn ones.

3. Raking fall leaves. I really hate this chore. We have sycamore trees, they have big leaves. Lots and lots of them.

4. Dusting the house and getting it ready, so I can shut all the windows for the cold season.

5. Picking out a pumpkin. I don’t do this quite so much now that my daughter is older.

6. Pulling out the spent spring flowers and planting fall bulbs or more mums.

7. Cleaning out my planters and planting some fall flowers.

8. Putting away all the shorts and summer clothes. Then digging out of the back of my closet for my long sleeve blouses and long pants. Cool weather clothes, oh how I miss thee.

9. Costume making time. My daughter has taken over this chore. She’s too old for trick-or-treating, but there’s an Ani-jam on Halloween that’s she’ll be attending. She won third place in the last one for her costume she had made.

10. Buying Halloween candy. We don’t get trick-or-treaters, we live too far out of town but I buy them for my small family. We like candy.

11. This year it’s on us for my daughter’s senior year school picture. It all has to be done by October 15th.

12. Get sign up for the Nanowritmo (National Novel Writer’s Month). It’s always a crazy month for me, but for the last three years I have finished in time with a 50,000 word novel.

13. Celebrate my hubby’s Birthday. His B-day is on the 29th.

Thirteen colors of Fall.

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1. Grass-Green

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2. Light green of faded sycamore leaves.

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3. Olive green of dry leaves.

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4. Red of maple leaves.
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5. Gold of a fully mature Sunflower just ready to pick.
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6. Burgundy of mock cherry leaves.
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7. Light Brown of baked earth after the harvest.
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8. Dark brown of the earth when the first rains come.
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9. Tan of dried corn husks.
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10. Dried Wheat Yellow.
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11. Pumpkin-Orange.
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12. Deep Orange-red of fall decorations.
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13. With October just around the corner what is fall without Halloween-black?

Thirteen Animals that we’ve seen around our country home:

1. Mice. The darn things keep getting into the house.

2. Rats. That’s something you don’t want to see in the house, but they’ve been here living in the walls and attic.

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3. Possums. Don’t let anyone fool you these guys are ugly they look like big rats, as far as I’m concerned they are marsupial rats. And they’ve been eating the cats food, bit our chickens on the leg which killed the poor chicken from an infection later. Ugh, I hate possums. Two young ones somehow got into the house too. Scared me half to death.
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4. Coyotes. We hear their eerie cries almost every night. They’ve eaten my chickens, ducks and my cats too believe it or not.

5. Ring tailed cat. I saw one on the porch eating the cat’s food. It tore off when I turned the light on and looked out. They’re ingenious to California and it’s rare to see one. And here I had one eating on my front porch.

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6. Raccoon. I saw one dead by the side of the road. Sad.

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7. Skunk. They too like the taste of our cat’s food. I hate when one gets into the habit of visiting our house, they smell up the house something awful. Frabreeze can only do so much.

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8. Peacock. A few years ago I heard a weird call and went outside, and there it was a male peacock with beautiful plumage. It took one look at me and ran back into the vineyard that used to be here.

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9. Boar. It was a white male pig. Big sucker but lean like it wasn’t being fed much. It was running around slurping up the grapes that my landlord was paying to have laid out to turn into raisins back when there were raisin grapes here. My landlord even asked me if the damn thing was mine. Nope. I’m not sure what happened to it, but it disappeared.

10. Goat. I was coming home after I had dropped off my daughter at school and thought I saw a dog with a gummy sack on it head. I stopped the car and got out, but it turned out to be a male goat that had pulled out his chain. It took one look at me and ran hell bent for home. Gee, I sure scare the animals don’t I?

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11. Pheasant. There use to be a lot that ran around here making an odd coughing sound, but I don’t see them very much anymore.

12. Horned and Barn Owl. The barn owl nests on our pine tree out front and I’ve seen the horned owl roosting on a telephone pole dawn or dusk. I hear them screech or who. One was trying to catch a rat and kept flying into my daughter’s bedroom window. She said, she didn’t get much sleep that night because of the crazy owl and the rat.

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13. Hawk. There are a lot of birds of prey both small and large that hunt around here. One time when I was taking a bike ride I heard a hawk scream and I look up in time to see it dive on it prey. Last year while I was taking my daughter home from school we saw one flying with a snake gripped in its talon.